Buying a Ragdoll Cat

Are you worried about how to find the perfect Ragdoll Cat for you? Where to start looking? What questions to ask?

If you’re in the process of buying a Ragdoll cat, you’ll definitely want to know the whos, whats, wheres, whens and whys of buying one. This article will provide you with the information you need to know before you approach a rescue group or a Ragdoll cat breeder about your future housemate!

Ragdoll Cats for Adoption: Rescue Ragdolls

We have a page entirely dedicated to helping you find and adopt a Rescue Ragdoll, please visit our Ragdoll Rescue page here. From there, you can start to email or phone the appropriate rescue group expressing your interest in buying a Ragdoll cat (make sure to write down the cat’s name or ID number before contacting the rescue and reference that name or ID number when you call or email them). When they reply, they will most likely ask you to fill out a questionnaire about yourself, your financial situation (pets cost money and rescues want to make sure you have enough to cover your own costs plus the costs of the new addition to your family), your free time to spend with your cat and so on and so forth.

Find a Ragdoll Kitten through Ragdoll Cat Breeders

Perhaps you’re interested in buying a Ragdoll kitten from a Ragdoll Breeder. It’s essential you know what to look for, what questions to ask and more. The first step is understanding breeder terminology when it comes to Ragdoll cats for sale. There are four different categories of Ragdoll Kittens to choose from:

Pet Alter Quality – mismarked, not 100% up to the standard on type but will have the temperament of a show cat, has been neutered or spayed. Some breeders choose not to spay or neuter and will leave that to the owner to do later on.

Show Alter Quality – Perfect markings, perfect type, but has been neutered or spayed.

Breeder Quality – Breeder good type and temperament but mismarked for show.

Show/Breeder Quality – show breeder Perfect markings perfect type every thing you want in a show cat.

All kittens, no matter which category they fit into, should have a good temperament and deep blue eyes.

Ragdoll Cats Price: Why Price Can Vary

When considering buying a Ragdoll cat, prices for these categories of Ragdoll kittens can vary considerably. There are many reasons for this:

Breeders in some states are required to get the appropriate vaccinations for their kittens before they sell them.

Some kittens come altered, so some breeders have to pay for the spay or neuter.

Many breeders prefer to have at least 2 vet checks before the kittens are sold.

Some Ragdoll breeders have their Breeder Quality or Show/Breeder Quality kittens DNA tested and most of my breeding cats are shown and titled to make sure that they are meeting the standard for the Ragdoll.

Actual Cost of caring for a kitten (like food, litter, etc.)

Responsible breeders do not adopt their kittens until they are at least 12-14 weeks old and, sometimes, older.

In fact, it is very hard to compare prices because expenses vary in different locations, that’s why knowing the price of buying a Ragdoll cat can be difficult without just inquiring with each specific breeder. The cost of food, vet bills for vaccinations, and spay and neuter have a wide spread of costs so, what may be high in some areas actually will barely cover the expense of the kitten itself in others.

Most breeders will offer some sort of a discount if you are willing to buy two of their kittens at the same time.

All breeders will require a deposit on a kitten, sometimes even before they are born. The reason breeders do this is so that your kitten is reserved. In other words, a breeder cannot be guaranteed that you are for sure going to buy a kitten, therefore they ask for an “escrow”, if you will, to confirm you are serious about your adoption and purchase.

Ragdoll Cats Price: What’s The Breakdown

Here is a break down of the prices of Ragdoll kittens:

Pet (Alter) Quality – approximately USD$450- USD $750 (some breeders charge more for females due to the fact that spaying costs more than neutering, also some breeders will charge more for rare or non-traditional color patterns, like Torties , Creams, Lilacs and Flames)

Below are examples of these different qualities, so you can get an idea of how these categories are determined. Thank you, Nene’s Ragdolls for supplying these photos!

Pet (Alter) Quality

Certainly, there isn’t a way to show that the cat has been altered in these photos (well, there is for the male, but not worth the point here).

Mordekai is a pet quality Ragdoll. He is a flame lynx mitted. While he does have nice deep eye color and good body type, he is mismarked. His blaze is too wide and his hock should be white but he has a spot of red on it. You’ll want to determine the importance of a Ragdoll’s physical appearance before buying a Ragdoll cat.

Show/Breeder Quality

NenesRags Misbehavn of AllDolledUp is a seal tortie point. She has good type, nice tortie markings, deep blue eye color, large size, soft coat and excellent temperment. She is a show breeder but could also be a show alter. She is 4.5 Months old in this photo.

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Hi, I’m Jenny Dean, creator of Floppycats! Ever since my Aunt got the first Ragdoll cat in our family, I have loved the breed. Inspired by my childhood Ragdoll cat, Rags, I created Floppycats to connect, share and inspire other Ragdoll cat lovers around the world,

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I will be getting a ragdoll soon and looking for a breeder in my area of Rochester, New York. I contacted one and really wanted to get one because of the colors she had (Love the seal point and blue lynx point). She, however, doesn’t allow visitors and I was put off by that. Any suggestions would help.

Did you ask her why she doesn’t allow visitors? For example, the breeder I bought Charlie and Trigg from didn’t allow visitors to her cattery, but if you had put a deposit down on a certain kitty you were allowed to come by her home and stay in her living room to meet your kitty. A lot of breeders have requests for people to see their cattery – and they never adopt – so they end up entertaining all day. If you can kindly ask her why or even ask her for references, then you might feel better about it. Also, look at the cats on her website – they should all have a clean appearance, etc.

Thank you for your reply. Her cats looked beautiful. Her reply was time constraints and then if I knew what I wanted she would breed one for me. I didn’t like the idea of not being able to see where the cat came from. I wasn’t about to put down a nonrefundable deposit, what if I didn’t like the cat? Luckily, I have found a breeder I like and will be visiting there on Saturday!

I am so pleased that you have found a breeder that you like and is allowing you to visit – what is the name of the cattery or could you send me a link? I’d be interested in asking them for an interview for the site.

I have heard of Dawn King. That is wonderful that she offered to help you find another kitten if you don’t buy a cat from her! Sounds like a winner – please report back and let me know how it went and more importantly, if you adopted a kitty!!

I will certainly due that. Kittens will be born probably late August, so they may be close to Christmas. If “Leah” didn’t breed on June 26th, she will breed her in July and she would be due around August 28th and my anniversary and birthday are August 19th and August 24th. I am in no rush, so whenever they get here, I’ll have a beautiful kitty. I think I have a name all picked out because I would like a male his name will be “Sir Lancelot of Kings Court.” If it is a girl, it will be, hmm, can’t name a kitty “Gweneviere” cause I can’t even spell it. Have to think on that one.

SO FUN! I love it! You are welcome to post any photos or stories of your trip on my blog site – here: http://blog.floppycats.com/blog/landing-pages/0/0/ragdoll-cat-stories%20Save%20Page – I’d love it! I love the “Sir Lancelot of Kings Court” – I am partial to the males – and actually “Guinevere” is how I got my name “Jennifer” – but I think Guinevere is way cooler!! I have a name picked out for my next kitty too – good on you!

I have visited Dawn King’s “cattery”. I would be very interested to hear other people’s experience at this place. When I went, the house reeked of cat urine the moment you walk in the door. The cats were all in cages-supposedly they like being in there but it reminded me of an animal shelter. The room the cats were kept in also contained a few large dogs who were also in cages, and barking very loudly. It was a very stressful environment. Dawn also informed me that she gives her cats Basic H, which is a HOUSEHOLD CLEANER!! Apparently that is her method for making sure the cats don’t get worms. I was appalled. She has beautiful looking cats, but it was not a place I felt comfortable buying a kitten from.

Comment concerning visitors at the cattery. Alot of breeder do not allow visitor to the cattery because of potential disease. They have kittens that may not have had their shots and with animal diseases you can carry on the bottom of your shoes. They probably are allowing in their home because they will bring the kittens that are ready for adoption over (and they are old enough to already have had their shots) I am with you I want to see where my kitty comes from and such however as a former breeder I also want to protect the young ones.

I wrote this article a while back before I got my kittens from Soulmate Ragdolls and Lora explained all this to me. I have not updated this page and I need to because of this. Good on you for mentioning it – as I get it now. I also understand that breeders operate out of their homes and their homes aren’t petting zoos and a lot of people use them as such. So I fully understand the importance of not allowing visitors – but to see the kittens when they are ready to adopt!

Hi there,
I am from Cyprus and I would really love to adopt a ragdoll cat but I can not find a breeder in Cyprus. Do you have any suggestions on how I could adopt a kitten or where to look for one? Do you know anyone who is willing to send me a kitten via animal transport who trustworthy?
Thank you very much

There are a number of breeders in Eastern Europe that would be able to work with you, I would think. You might ask on the Facebook page. I’ve also reached out to one of them to see if they could ship to you.

Hi there. I am the breeder Jenny reached out to. I live in Slovakia and breed ragdolls. I also have not heard of any ragdoll breeders in Cyprus, so it seems that if you want a ragdoll, you might have to import it. Are you interested in a pet kitten (the baby is not for future breeding and comes already neutered) or do you want to start breeding ragdolls (in that case, I recommend some reading about this).
I flew to Larnaka last summer and spent time in Paphos and Nicosia and we have a straight flight connection there.
In case you plan to import a kitten of any breed, I truly recommend flying with the kitten on board (as a carry-on luggage). It is less stressful for the kitten as it can be with you and you can calm it down if neccessary and it is also lot cheaper than having kitten shipped to you as cargo. A pet boy from my breeding lives in Denmark and his owner and he flew to Denmark from Vienna, the kitten´s ticket cost 25€ (but it can be obviously more with different flight carriers). The boy did very well, he was calm and quiet and slept the whole way but he meowed a bit during the take off and landing. The pet boy, Aaron, travelles a lot between Germany and Denamrk and also Slovakia and he is completely ok with it but he is very fixed on his owner.
I hope this helps you a bit, if you have time ,feel free to check our web pagehttp://www.lambrusca.sk (the english version on the left side of the menu)
or on FB https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lambrusca-Ragdolls/181237935231364

We lost our two furry family members a few years ago. Our big boy, we had for 15 yrs. He died in 2008 from complications of the diabetes. His sister went a couple years after from what we’re not exactly sure. All I know is we miss them very badly. I went around to the rescue groups and shelters. We went to the shelters and rescue groups, but all we are finding are animals that aren’t very healthy and not well socialized. So, we are strongly considering purchasing a purebred. In particular a Ragdoll. We feel guilty thinking of buying a pet. We’ve never done it. However, trying to find a pet that fits in with our family has been difficult. In doing research, we came upon the Ragdoll. A friend of a friend of mine has one and loves her baby. As well as my son’s friend who purchased a Ragdoll, Jiggs a year or two ago. He adores this little kitty. We went on Animal Plant to research the Ragdoll breed. The more we thought about it the more we fell in love with Radgolls. It would be the perfect match for our family. The difficulty is how do you pick a quality breeder? There is also a concern the breeder is doing genetic testing on her animals. Also, this breeder will give at least a two to three yr genetic health guarantee. IA purebred Ragdoll is a big purchase. Is there anyone who can offer me guidance?

I am looking for a reputable breeder in Fort Worth, Tx…or Dallas….Can you give me names of some breeders. I have been searching and searching as I lost my Sophie, the most beautiful Ragdoll, and the sweetest….I miss her so badly…I know I can’t replace her, but I need a new little friend…..Any help you can give me, I would appreciate it…
Thank you very much,
Julie Brashears

The breeder I got my boy from was also a vet and she highly recommended against any vaccinations except the core FRVCP, because ragdolls are more sensitive and commonly have bad reactions. Unfortunately, the rabies vaccination was required by law in my state – they will fine you if you take an unvaccinated animal to the vet even! So I had to give my baby the rabies vaccination and he got incredibly ill. Thanks to our lovely laws, he can’t get a medical exemption so every three years he has to be drugged up with steroids and anti-inflammatories just to get his rabies booster. After these experiences, my nice, sweet boy who used to give his vet kisses now has to have mild tranquilizers before we go or he will attack the vet.

I know in the UK you don’t have mandatory rabies vaccination, so stay away from that one in my opinion. Have them do the core, but maybe have it split into the three individual vaccinations and have them done one at a time on your baby. Then, if he is sensitive, you will know what vaccine did it and can try to avoid any boosters. I also will not give my boy the FeLV, FIV, or FIP even though the vet constantly tries to convince me on the FeLV one. I just don’t want to risk it after his other adverse reaction.

I would phone round all the vets and see if this inflexible attitude towards the rabies vaccine is common or if there is a vet who understands that a cat who has already had a significant reaction should be exposed any further.

Seriously, I often think some of these vets are more interested in the money than the welfare of our beloved furry babies.

His vet was amazing actually – she was a certified feline practitioner at a cat-only vet and knew her stuff. It was the state law combined with the city ordinances and apartment regulations. To live in an apartment with a pet, you needed to show proof of a license and to get the license, you had to show proof of rabies vaccination, no exemptions. It was terrible.

We moved to another state since then which only has a county ordinance, no state law, and no licenses for cats. Needless to say, I did not let my baby get a rabies shot when he turned five and we were living here!! The initial vac and the treatment after scarred my kitty for good when it comes to vets and the one-year and two-year were not much better. I miss his old vet but I do not miss those darn laws! Now if only I could erase his memory of it all so I could take him for check-ups without all the drama!

I would speak to lots of different insurance companies before having my kittens vaccinated unnecessarily. What humans forget is that vaccination involves putting either killed or modified live VIRUSES into a solution and injecting it into their immune system to build antibodies. This can often cause symptoms of the virus itself until the cat has built sufficient antibodies to stave it off. It also has the effect of leaving the cat vulnerable to other infections while it’s immune system is fighting the primary vaccination virus.

UC Davies has an excellent article here – http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vmth/small_animal/internal_medicine/newsletters/vaccination_protocols.cfm and the consensus among the better informed vets is that over-vaccination is rife in the industry. Once a kitten has had it’s first shots for calicivirus, panleukopenia and rhinotracheitis (RCP) around 12 weeks, it should only need the same again at 16 weeks with a 1 year booster. After this, the cat’s ability to produce antibodies should be fine – but if there is doubt get the vet to run a vaccination titer to confirm. This may be a little more expensive than getting new shots, but ragdolls do not take shots well and the risk of sarcomas is something every pet parents should be aware of.

The breeder from whom I got my three ragdolls specifically advises against FeLV and FIP vaccinations as she has had bad experiences with those vaccines.

Luckily Britain still has no rabies so there is absolutely no need to put your cat at risk unless you propose making it an outdoor roamer, which is not recommended with the ragdoll breed.

Hope this helps. I’m not a vet or vet tech but before I got my kittens I spent several hours researching vaccines on animals in general and cats and breed-specific cats in particular.

I live in the UK & my cats have all our normal vaccinations EXCEPT feline leukaemia which I won’t let them have – there are reports of carcinomas at the injection site. This is only transferred by a bite & as my cats are indoor only & do not come into contact with any other cats they don’t need it. Rabies isn’t a UK vaccination as we are rabies free as a country. You can get insurance for your cats whether or not they’re vaccinated, but you won’t be covered for anything preventable by vaccination. Also bear in mind that if you need to put your cat in a cattery at any time they will not accept un vaccinated cats.

Agree with everything Patti just said. Thanks for the info Jenny and hope that anyone looking for a Ragdoll will also look at Petfinder to see if there are any Ragdolls that need rehoming. Saw a gorgeous little one there about a year ago and she was snapped up before I could get back to see her again!♥♥♥♥♥

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Hi, I’m Jenny Dean, creator of Floppycats! Ever since my Aunt got the first Ragdoll cat in our family, I have loved the breed. Inspired by my childhood Ragdoll cat, Rags (pictured with me), I created Floppycats to connect, share and inspire other (Ragdoll) cat lovers around the world, hoping we all utilize this community to make a better life for our cats and for us with our cats and to make some great friendships along the way as well.